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☆ House passes legislation that could ban TikTok in the US amid high-stakes vote on foreign aid
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-20 | by ( Brian Fung | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

By attaching the TikTok bill to funding for Ukrainian military equipment and Israeli missile defense, House Republicans put the pressure on Senate lawmakers to consider the whole package in a single up-or-down vote. Policy analysts expect the Senate to take up the aid package quickly, giving it high odds of passage. And President Joe Biden has previously said he would sign the TikTok legislation if it reaches his desk. And in the days leading up to the House vote on Saturday, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer emphasized the urgency of approving the foreign aid. On Saturday, Schumer said in remarks on the Senate floor that there is a tentative agreement for the chamber to take up the foreign aid package on Tuesday.

Persons: TikTok, Joe Biden, ” TikTok, ”, Chuck Schumer, Schumer, Paul Gallant, Cowen, Gallant, ” Gallant Organizations: Washington CNN, ByteDance, House Republicans, Cowen Inc Locations: Israel, Ukraine, Washington, U.S

☆ AI could disrupt the 2024 US presidential election. What’s Congress doing about it?
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-14 | by ( Brian Fung | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +11 min

But with just nine months until Americans head to the ballot box, there are few signs Congress is ready to pass any meaningful legislation on AI. Alex Wong/Getty ImagesSchumer has previously said that with the election nearing, he may seek to fast-track a bill that focuses specifically on AI and election security. Nothing looks likely to move.”Initial momentum on AI regulationFor months, Congress has focused on getting up to speed on the basics of AI. Still other ideas would require “high-risk” AI models to register for a government license, or create a dedicated new federal agency to oversee AI. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman testifies before a Senate Judiciary Privacy, Technology & the Law Subcommittee hearing titled 'Oversight of A.I.

Persons: Joe Biden, Chuck Schumer, Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerberg, Elon Musk, “, Schumer, Sen, Todd Young, Martin Heinrich, Michael Rounds, Alex Wong, New Mexico Democratic Sen, South Dakota Republican Sen, Mike Rounds, Indiana Republican Sen, didn’t, Paul Gallant, Cowen, ”, Gallant, we’re, Sam Altman, Altman, Heinrich, Rounds, Young, Julia Nikhinson, Sundar Pichai, Jensen Huang, Mike Johnson, Marcus Molinaro, Johnson, Drake, Tom Hanks, Tennessee Republican Sen, Marsha Blackburn, Hakeem Jeffries, Don Beyer, it’ll, Alan Davidson, Biden, Elizabeth Frantz, ” Davidson, —, Sarah Myers West Organizations: Washington CNN, mayoral, U.S, Senate, Capitol, Artificial Intelligence, “, CNN, New, New Mexico Democratic, South Dakota Republican, Indiana Republican, Cowen Inc, United, International Atomic Energy Agency, Intelligence, Reuters, Google, Nvidia, New York Republican, The Washington Post, Commerce, Tennessee Republican, ITI, Virginia Democratic Rep, State of, Republican, House Energy, European Union, EU, Congress, Commerce Department, White House, Privacy, Technology, Democrats, Federal Trade Commission Locations: Washington ,, New Mexico, South, Washington , U.S, Washington

☆ Analysts are adjusting their price targets for Constellation — here's why we're on board
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-03 | by ( Paulina Likos | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Wall Street praised Constellation Brands (STZ) in a series of price target hikes to start the new week and quarter. We boosted our Club price target on Constellation on Friday to $270 per share from $260. BMO Capital increased price target to $290 from $263 Wells Fargo increased price target to $280 from $275 Bernstein increased price target to $287 from $280 JPMorgan raised price target to $276 from $273 Goldman Sachs raised price target to $275 from $264 Wedbush increased price target to $275 to $270 TD Cowen increased price target to $240 from $220 Truist raised price target to $240 from $220 The common theme, as we also pointed out, is the company's unrelenting beer momentum as the main factor that should drive the company's future growth. Constellation delivered resilient beer depletions, also known as the number of cases that are sold to retailers by a distributor. We were glad to see Wall Street analysts follow our price target increase.

Persons: That's, Bernstein, Goldman Sachs, Cowen, Bud Light, Bud, Jim Cramer's, Jim Cramer, Jim Organizations: Constellation Brands, Corona, Modelo, Constellation, BMO Capital, Wells, JPMorgan, Modelo Especial, Pacifico, Management, Wall, CNBC, Getty Locations: Pacifico, Corona, America, California, U.S

May 4 (Reuters) - Canadian lender Toronto-Dominion Bank Group (TD.TO) has called off its deal to acquire First Horizon Corp (FHN.N) for $13.4 billion on Thursday, sending the U.S. bank's shares down 44.5% in premarket trading. As part of the termination, TD will pay $200 million to First Horizon in addition to a $25 million fee reimbursement, the banks said. TD first agreed to buy First Horizon in February last year to expand its presence in the United States. Since then, the lender has acquired New York-based boutique investment bank Cowen Inc for $1.3 billion this year. ORTEX data from early last month showed the second-largest Canadian lender was the world's most shorted banking stock.

First Horizon and TD said in a statement they had mutually decided to end the deal because there was no clarity on when they would get regulatory approvals. TD will pay $200 million to First Horizon, in addition to a $25 million fee reimbursement. 2 lender came under pressure from some investors to scrap the purchase after the U.S. regional banking crisis. TD agreed to buy First Horizon in February last year to expand its presence in the United States. Average deposits at First Horizon fell 4% to $62.2 billion in the first quarter, compared to the end of last year.

☆ Canada's TD gets regulatory nod for $1.3 bln purchase of Cowen
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Feb 24 (Reuters) - Canada's Toronto-Dominion Bank (TD.TO) has received all regulatory approvals to complete its $1.3 billion acquisition of New York-based boutique investment bank Cowen Inc (COWN.O), the companies said on Friday. Last February, the Canadian lender had signed a $13.4 billion deal to buy U.S.-based First Horizon Corp (FHN.N). The First Horizon deal is now expected to close on May 27, three months later than the deadline the companies had set. Cowen provides investment banking, research, sales and trading and prime brokerage services. Last week, Cowen reported an 82% drop in fourth-quarter net income as investment banking took a hit.

☆ TFI Stake in Trucker ArcBest Sparks Acquisition Speculation
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-22 | by ( Liz Young | Paul Berger | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +4 min

TFI in 2021 became one of the top carriers in the U.S. less-than-truckload sector when it bought United Parcel Service Inc.’s freight business for $800 million. TFI CEO and President Alain Bédard said on the Feb. 6 earnings call that TFI is looking for opportunities to work with ArcBest. TFI executives said they see ways to save money working together with ArcBest, analysts at Cowen wrote in a Feb. 14 note summarizing a meeting they had with TFI management. The Cowen analysts wrote TFI is well placed to take over ArcBest’s unionized workforce because it already works with the Teamsters union at TForce Freight. ArcBest shares are up about 14% since TFI disclosed its stake.

☆ Cowen names this little-known defense systems stock a top pick, says it can rally 40%
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-06 | by ( Hakyung Kim | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Aerospace and defense company Moog is Cowen's top small and medium-cap pick for 2023. Analyst Cai von Rumohr reiterated the stock's outperform rating, calling it a transition story with 40% upside from Friday's close. "Given Moog's strong position in attractive niche markets, we think this strategy makes lots of sense. However, von Rumohr believes that much of the company's risks have already abated. "The integrated satellite bus program entails risk; but risk is abating as Moog is 80% through software development.

☆ Illumina Makes Its Interim CFO Permanent
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-01 | by ( Kristin Broughton | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +3 min

Gene-sequencing company Illumina Inc. on Wednesday named Joydeep Goswami as chief financial officer, giving its interim CFO the role on a permanent basis. Mr. Goswami joined Illumina in 2019 as chief strategy and corporate development officer, overseeing strategic partnerships and acquisitions. Illumina CFO Joydeep Goswami. He added that he received a crash course in traditional areas of finance, including treasury, tax and audit, while serving as interim CFO. As CFO, Mr. Goswami plans to keep Illumina’s spending on innovation roughly constant as a percentage of revenue.

☆ Freight Forwarder Flexport Is Laying Off 20% of Its Workforce
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-12 | by ( Liz Young | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +4 min

Freight forwarder Flexport Inc. is cutting about 20% of its global workforce, or more than 600 workers, as the digital-focused business copes with falling shipping demand and repositions its operations to offer more supply-chain services. Mr. Petersen in June had estimated gross revenue of nearly $5 billion in 2022. The layoffs come amid a broader pullback in freight demand since the middle of last year as inflation has taken a toll on consumer demand and retailers have pulled back from earlier inventory restocking efforts. Mr. Clark, who led Amazon.com Inc.’s logistics expansion over his 20-plus years with the company, started as co-CEO at Flexport in September alongside the freight forwarder’s founder, Mr. Petersen. Mr. Clark is scheduled to fully take over the day-to-day leadership role on March 1, the company has said, and Mr. Petersen will then become executive chairman.

☆ American Airlines Names New CFO as It Looks to Cut Debt
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-13 | by ( Kristin Broughton | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +3 min

American Airlines Group Inc. named a company veteran as its next finance chief as it reaps the benefits of an uptick in air travel and works to pay down debt. He succeeds Derek Kerr, who has held the CFO role at American since its 2013 merger with US Airways Group. During his 20-year tenure at American and airlines it absorbed, US Airways and America West, Mr. May has held senior-level roles in finance, regional operations and network planning. American is one of several airlines that cut back on flights this year amid widespread delays, staffing shortages and airport congestion. The company has said it plans to pay down about $15 billion of its total debt by the end of 2025.

☆ Cutting Costs, Not Jobs, Is Focus for Many CFOs Facing Slowdown
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-12 | by ( Kristin Broughton | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +6 min

At the same time, many employers are looking for workers, with job openings well above the number of job seekers. That leaves some finance chiefs scouting for savings that don’t involve job cuts, or that supplement layoffs, advisers and analysts said. Other ways to cut costs include exiting leases, reducing the number of suppliers, automating tasks, trimming software spending and finding less expensive components, advisers said. Many companies over the past year have raised prices to keep up with escalating input costs, in addition to trimming expenses. Still, the company’s restaurant-level profit margin during the quarter ended Oct. 2 fell to 16.2% from 20.1% a year earlier.

☆ Adidas needs Yeezy-like designs to thrive, but many sneakerheads say they're done with the brand
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-09 | by ( Danni Santana | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

In a note, Cowen analysts said Adidas has "a path forward" in selling popular shoes without Yeezy. Some sneakerheads will give Adidas' new offerings a chance, while others plan to skip the releases. "Our checks suggest there is demand for Yeezy-like designs among the sneaker community, despite clear reputational risk, and we expect management to launch new styles without Yeezy branding," Cowen analysts said. Cowen analysts estimated Adidas also has several million units of Yeezy inventory in warehouses. The company has lost over $1 billion in annual profit in the region since 2019, Cowen analysts said.

☆ Jim Cramer's Investing Club meeting Monday: Trimming oil, Starbucks, Eli Lilly
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-05 | by ( Krystal Hur | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Every weekday the CNBC Investing Club with Jim Cramer holds a "Morning Meeting" livestream at 10:20 a.m. Trimming HAL SBUX downgrade LLY opportunity? As a subscriber to the CNBC Investing Club with Jim Cramer, you will receive a trade alert before Jim makes a trade. THE ABOVE INVESTING CLUB INFORMATION IS SUBJECT TO OUR TERMS AND CONDITIONS AND PRIVACY POLICY , TOGETHER WITH OUR DISCLAIMER . NO FIDUCIARY OBLIGATION OR DUTY EXISTS, OR IS CREATED, BY VIRTUE OF YOUR RECEIPT OF ANY INFORMATION PROVIDED IN CONNECTION WITH THE INVESTING CLUB.

☆ How Silicon Valley could be impacted by a Republican-controlled House
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-17 | by ( Brian Fung | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

Democrats have hammered away at online platforms’ handling of hate speech and white nationalism, while promoting legislation that could drastically affect the business models of big tech companies. The return of heated tech CEO hearingsIn general, tech companies may face more political noise with a Republican House but potentially less policy risk. With Republicans likely to take control of the House, tech companies could face more hearings, but not necessarily more legislation. Privacy legislationMultiple Congress-watchers told CNN that support for federal privacy legislation is still bipartisan and the area remains one of a handful where lawmakers could make progress in the next Congress. It was approved by a key House committee this year and policy analysts say it could see more opportunities to advance next year.

Rogers' launched the deal to buy Shaw in March 2021, but the competition bureau blocked it saying it would lessen competition in a market which has among the highest wireless prices in the world. He said since the competition bureau sits under the minister, it is a signal to the bureau to settle. The competition bureau did not reply to an email seeking comment. Champagne's announcement comes as the companies start a two-day mediation process starting Thursday at the Competition Tribunal. Competition bureau has said the sale of Freedom Mobile to Quebecor is not sufficient to overcome its concerns about market concentration.

☆ An antitrust battle over GIFs could be a wake-up call for Silicon Valley
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-20 | by ( Brian Fung | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

But a long-running legal battle over who can control access to them, culminating this week in a rare defeat for Meta (META), the parent of Facebook, could have major ramifications for Big Tech regulation. On Tuesday, UK regulators forced Meta to unwind its 2020 purchase of Giphy, one of the largest searchable internet libraries of GIFs. “The Citadel may have been breached,” said Joel Mitnick, an antitrust attorney at the law firm Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft. The company said this week that it will continue to explore acquisitions despite the UK ruling. And US courts don’t typically take foreign antitrust rulings into account; their job is to interpret US law.

Ralph Lauren Corp. aims to buy back more stock and boost its profit margins as it benefits from strong consumer demand after years of restructuring. Ralph Lauren bought back $234.7 million in shares and paid $48.1 million in dividends during the quarter ended July 2. “We already have momentum and that’s what’s giving us confidence,” Ms. Nielsen said. Ralph Lauren last month said its cash and cash equivalents totaled $1.46 billion as of July 2, down from $2.6 billion a year earlier. The next step would be to open more of its own stores, which in turn boosts e-commerce sales, Ms. Nielsen said.

☆ Cheniere CFO Aims for Investment-Grade Credit Rating as Natural-Gas Prices Soar
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-15 | by ( Kristin Broughton | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +6 min

Cheniere Energy Inc.’s finance chief is working toward landing an investment-grade credit rating in the coming year, as the largest U.S. exporter of liquefied natural gas pays down debt and benefits from the run-up in energy prices. Photo: Cheniere Energy Inc. The company expects to reach investment grade next year based on its current rating and financial position, Mr. Davis said. An investment-grade rating would provide confidence to long-term investors and customers that the company can survive volatility in commodity markets, Mr. Davis said. Higher natural gas prices have been a boon to Cheniere’s finances, prompting it to accelerate plans to pay down debt.

Mr. Stein was a substitute teacher, who over the years had also worked at a plumbing supply store and a funeral home. But the place where Mr. Stein, 71, spent most of his time in recent years was at the synagogue, Mr. Halle said. Mr. Stein’s daughter-in-law recently had a child, and Mr. Stein was delighted to be a grandfather for the first time. Ms. Fienberg has two sons, one living in Washington and one in Paris, and six grandchildren. As he aged, Mr. Wax had become hard of hearing, and in recent years, he did not speak much.

Persons: David, Cecil Rosenthal, ”, Joyce Fienberg, Melvin Wax, Rosenthal, Fienberg, Wax, Rose Mallinger, Diane Rosenthal, Sylvan Simon, Wilkinsburg, Daniel Stein, Jerry Rabinowitz, Irving Younger, “ They’ve, Jeffrey Solomon, “, don’t, Solomon, David Rosenthal, “ I’ve, Mr, Richard Gottfried, Susan Kalson, Dr, Gottfried, Ms, Kalson, Steven Halle, Stein, Halle, Stein’s, —, Israel — Mr, Dodie Roskies, Fienberg’s, Stephen E, Roskies, Bill Cartiff, Cartiff, Jodi Kart, Suzan, . Rabinowitz, ” Ms, Hauptman, Rabinowitz, Marie Jo Marks, Marks, Helen Nothwang, Jerry Schmitt, ‘, I’ll, ’, Schmitt Organizations: Cowen Inc, Jewish Community Center, Pittsburgh Jewish, Health, Mr, Halle, “, Carnegie Mellon University, University of Pittsburgh’s Learning Research, Development Center, Pirates Locations: Europe, Pa, Edgewood Borough, Mt . Washington, New York, Pittsburgh, “, Ross Township, Israel, Central, Eastern Europe, Squirrel Hill, Washington, Paris

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